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7/31/2008

Best part about my profession!

Sometimes I feel that I have made a wrong career choice.....it's such a party-pooper! Don't get me wrong, I love what I do right now (so far so good), but it gets tiresome after a while when at a social gathering (or any other place, really), people come up to you and ask you to analyze them, read them, or help them.

So today, I had a really long day. I had some work and a session at my site today, after which I went directly for my 5-hour back-to-back classes. While returning home at 9 in the night, this massive guy sitting next to me on the subway keeps turning around to look at me. He seems about 17 years old, definitely not more than 20. He is all pimply, and eating the largest size available of Rita's Waterice...without a spoon! One thing I hate doing is talking to strangers, especially in places like elevators, public transportation, etc. So I try my best to ignore him. Unfortunately, I am not good enough at ignoring, so make eye contact for 1/10000 of a second or something and turn away.
Then he asks me, "Are you like a lawyer?" Am I wearing a powersuit? Do I have a briefcase? Are you retarded or just really immature? "Hah...no, I'm not."

Stranger: So what do you do?
None of your bidness, you hog!
I: student

I try my best to ignore him but being a...ahem....courteous person, I have trouble doing this, so I do it by avoiding eye contact. Few seconds later,

S: What do you study? Law?
Why is this person fixated with law? Does he want free consultation? Better filter my replies.
I: No, counseling psychology
Sure, his warm big piggy eyes made me specify it was counseling psychology! Ughhhhh
S: Do you know anything about autism? (Yes) Asperger's syndrome?
Oh man, I hope he doesn't ask me to be his therapist! or something worse...
I: Yeah, heard about it in my last class.
S: I am surprised because not a lot of people know about this.
D-uhh...I studied DSM-IV TR, didn't I? Honestly though, I don't exactly remember it!!!
S: I have Asperger's syndrome.
Now, that's worse than asking me to be his therapist. How the fuck am I supposed to respond to him considering I don't even want to talk to this guy?
I: Oh, I see
That's my best response? I need to work on my responses!! Better response would've been to tell him I have homicidal tendencies.
S: Yeah, good to know people out here know about it.
I: Yeah, but ADHD is way too common, as is autism.
Have to give him something now that we have shared the major details about our lives, and don't want him to think all therapists like me....indifferent.
S: I have ADD as well
Whoa! Didn't see that coming. I take back the initial retard part
I: I see. Oh well, here's my stop, nice meeting you, have a great day.
S: You too!

I walked the next 8 blocks home instead of just 2, like when I get off at MY stop!!

PS - No ethical codes were violated.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

You sure had a lucky escape....

The walking also would've done you a world of good...

Virag J. Thakkar said...

and you thought i was the one whom your parents warned about :p